Things Unsaid
by railise
Summary: An enchantment has everyone confessing secrets about themselves. (Merlin's covering his mouth.)


**Prompt:** "People are complicated. There is so much more to everybody than you realize. You see someone in school everyday, or at work, in the canteen, and you share a cigarette of a coffee with them, and you talk about the weather or last night's air raid. But you don't talk so much about what was the nastiest thing you ever said to your mother, or how you pretended to be [insert hero], the hero of [insert media], for the whole of the year when you were 13, or what you imagine yourself doing with the pilot who looks like [insert attractive person] if you were alone in his bunk after a dance." ― Elizabeth Wein, _Code Name Verity_ (edited a bit from the original)

**Author's Notes:** Percy's intial statement is a reference to "Percival is the Manliest Man Ever to Wear a Dress" at my favorite blog, Myths RETOLD (which I couldn't recommend more, although I will warn that it's entirely un-PC and NSFW). I haven't actually read the legend and don't know the extent of Percival's upbringing, but I couldn't resist because those Arthurian retellings have stuck in my head.  
For **ag_fics** Team Fic Battle, at LiveJournal.

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"My mother dressed me in gowns."

All eyes went to Percival, who looked as surprised as the rest of them. "I, uh... I have no idea why I said that."

Everyone seated at the dinner table continued to stare at him for a few moments, but finally they went back to eating.

That was, until Leon announced, "I used to sit in fields and hope that a unicorn would come up to me." The expression on his face was almost as mortified as Percival's had been.

"I thought unicorns only came to people who were pure of heart," Gwaine snorted.

Arthur looked at his knights as though they were losing their minds. "What's all this about?"

His face bright pink, Leon replied, "I wish I knew, Sire."

Attention turned away from him when Elyan spoke. "When we were small, I told Gwen that she was a foundling. She cried for two days straight and was still asking our parents about it years later."

"I remember that," Gwen said slowly, looking over at him. "I used to walk through the marketplace and wonder if any of those people were my 'real' parents."

"Sorry," Elyan murmured.

She nodded and said, "I had my revenge. When you were fifteen, I told the weaver's daughter that you were only helping our father in the forge until your dream of becoming a court jester worked out."

"Serena? Is _that_ why she stopped talking to me?" he exclaimed.

Gwen covered her mouth. "I'm so sorry. I cannot believe I said that just now, or did it in the first place."

Arthur's frown was reaching epic proportions, but it changed into one of pure horror when he said, "The night before I fought Morgause, I dreamt that she and I had a child, and it was the Druid boy- What the hell?!"

"I'm pretty sure I tupped a fae once," Gwaine remarked, although no one was certain if that was due to the same bizarre occurrence overtaking all of them, or if he simply had had too much ale.

"I knit my own underthings," Percival stated.

Merlin clamped his hands firmly over his mouth.

"I once got knocked unconscious in a tournament fight when Morgana leant over in my line of sight. Her dress had a loose neckline, and I got distracted," Leon said.

Elyan admitted, "I've eaten three whole chickens in one sitting."

Gwaine set down the piece of bread he had been chewing. "I used to hide in the caves near my home and make wailing noises when village children would come up, to make them think the caves were haunted."

"The sound of a broom on flagstones sets my teeth on edge."

"Sometimes, I wonder if my mother did not actually die, and it was a story my father invented to cover her leaving."

"There's a spider that's been living in my chambers for some time, and I call it Bors."

"My sister's been writing me, wanting me to invite her to Camelot, but I haven't acknowledged a single one of her letters because she's unspeakably irritating."

"I ran into a wall once during a race. I'd turned around to see where my friends were, and BAM! They all saw it happen, too."

"Arthur, I think we should all finish eating in our own chambers," Gwen said anxiously, following that up with, "I miss the birds that used to nest in the roof of my house this time of year. I've always loved listening for when the babies hatch."

With a nod, Arthur began to stand. "Good idea," he replied. "When I was a child, Agravaine used to give me rides on his shoulders around the grounds whilst I made horse noises. Merlin, clearly this is an enchantment; go see if Gaius has any ideas how to stop it."

Palms still firmly over his mouth, Merlin made for the exit, but had lowered his hands to open the door when Arthur admitted, "I often feel as though there's someone, a guardian angel or something, looking out for me."

"It's me. I have magic," Merlin blurted, then froze. Reluctantly, he turned around, only to find every eye on him. He tried to pass it off with a laugh- a very nervous, unconvincing laugh. "It was a joke!" Laugh. "I sent the light that guided you through the cave when I was poisoned, Arthur; l tried to trade my life to Nimueh for yours when the questing beast bit you, turned myself into the old wizard to save Gwen from being burnt at the stake for witchcraft, _would_ have saved Uther if Morgana had not reversed the spell... I've basically saved you and Camelot a thousand times over."

_Oh, hell._ "Joking...?"

Arthur's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.


End file.
